Shaolin Mom
by Hell-on-Training-Wheels
Summary: After saving them, Kung Jin finds himself the reluctant owner of 5 kittens. ((Kung Jin/ Kombat Kids and fluffy/light-hearted mischief))
1. Lost and Found

**A/N:** _Hello, there. This fic is intended to be more light-hearted from my other stuff, and it's a plot bunny that has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. For those readers that know my other stuff, this fic is taken inspiration from Kung Jin and his cat scene from 'Survival of the Fittest' but it is own story as well._

* * *

 **Chapter 1  
** **Lost and Found**

* * *

Kung Jin actually never had a fondness for cats. Yet here he was looking down at five fluffy, malnourished faces that were squeaking at him from the cardboard box he was holding.

To be honest, the chorus of mewing was starting to get on his nerves. It was as constant and unrelenting as their feeble attempts to hurdle the edge of the box and try to escape.

He would constantly have to shove them back in, he didn't like cats, but he wasn't mean to them; all he did was shift the box back and forth to tumble them back in.

Eventually, he placed his leather jacket over the top of the box to cover it and muffle the sound at the same time. Jin was also tired of the stares from passerby's he was getting when they saw a Shaolin Monk wearing casual clothing, carrying a box of crying kittens at 10 o'clock at night.

He wasn't sure if the pet store he was heading in would even be open, but if he had made a valiant to rescue them, he would make sure he at least tried to feed them.

It was serendipity really, or cruel joke played on him by the Elder Gods, that just a couple of hours previous he was complaining how he didn't want any company.

Now he had all he could ask for...

* * *

 _Bull'_ _s-Eye Bar and Grill  
A couple of Hours Earlier..._

"Let's get out of here," Jin complained, eyeballing the western themed bar with an annoyed grimace. "This place reminds me of Cowboy Panda too much."

Cassie looked up from her giant fishbowl sized margarita with a raised eyebrow and slurped through the straw loudly to convey to Kung Jin she didn't care. Takeda and Jacqui sat across the table from them, Takeda had his arm wrapped around the latter's as he played absently with the fry on his empty plate; as if debating if he was full enough to eat it or not. Jacqui eyeballed the overly decorated bar with a shrug as if agreeing with Jin that it was the place the Outworld cowboy would love to dine at.

Jin was done before they had even walked in. He had no desire to come out and socialize, but the others had dragged him out of the confines of his comfortable room for _'Squad Bonding Time,'_ that Takeda had dubbed it.

The fact that they picked this place out of the million other places they could have taken him to was also an annoyance. He understood why, though; it was Friday night, and the family friendly joint was the only thing that had seating that didn't require them waiting an hour.

They swung in and ate in no time, but the atmosphere was still noisy with kid's screaming and steel guitar song after steel guitar song. For the love of the Gods, how many times did he have to hear about cowboys, beer, and tailgating? It was stereotypical and repetitive and it reminded him of Erron Black since his only experience with anything Spaghetti western related was the kohl painted asshole.

Cassie groaned in pain, drawing the other's attention to her, as she placed her fingers to her temples. "Fuck me, brain freeze." She shook her head, and Jin rolled his eyes at the almost empty margarita that was full seconds earlier.

"You wanna slow down there, girl? You're not at a keg party," Jacqui told her, offering her a sideways grin at her friend.

"Dudes, come on," Cassie slurred, looking around the glasses of water they each had with a disappointed scowl. "Why am I the only one drinking? It's Friday night! That automatically means we have to drink."

Jacqui frowned at her; reading her like a book, "Why didn't we just go to the bar if you wanted to get us drunk?"

"I wasn't trying to be obvious," Cassie said with the roll of her eyes before her lips went back to the fluorescent green straw.

"Another reason I didn't want you to bring me out," Jin growled, "You guys will get wasted, and you'll make the Shaolin the one to be your DD. Real nice."

Cassie slapped him on the shoulder and Jin's lip lifted up into a snarl at the show of her tipsy camaraderie.

"Nah, you're not _just_ our chauffeur," Cassie sniggered, "You're gonna have fun tonight too."

Kung Jin narrowed his eyes at her remark, his eyes still glued to the empty plate in front of him at the same time.

"Seriously, I think that if you meet someone tonight, you won't be so much of uptight douche-stick," Cassie said with a lopsided smile. Kung Jin immediately flashed her an annoyed look, and he noticed Takeda and Jacqui grimacing in sympathy almost out of his peripheral vision.

It wasn't his first time Cassie had attempted him to help him get laid and apparently his request for her, in his words, _'to jump in front of a moving car'_ had obviously been ignored.

While he was pleased that they had accepted his sexual preference in their strides, he was not happy about their attempts to push him into getting his cherry popped. It was a decision he wanted to make for himself on his terms and Jin was fed up with them trying to coax him into it.

Takeda seemed to be the only one who understood and threw a pointed look in Cassie's direction: "Let it go already, Cassie. He doesn't want you as a wingman."

Jacqui didn't add anything, but Jin could tell she was also in agreement by the miniscule nod that almost went unnoticed by Kung Jin. Cassie surveyed them and gave them a frown as if they had betrayed her.

"Seriously?" Cassie blurted, "You guys are turning on me too? I thought we were friends. Whatever, I'll pull through... _somehow_."

The sergeant gave a forced childish pout that made Takeda rolled his eyes at, and Jacqui raise a speculative eyebrow. In Jin's opinion, it looked like the specialist was trying to judge how drunk Cassie was already.

"Girl, lay off the margaritas and lay off Jin," Jacqui insisted with a humorous smile but serious tone. "He doesn't want your help."

"I can defend myself, thanks," Kung Jin snapped with a scowl. The corner of Jacqui's lip pulled up with a resentful flicker before she chose to look at the collection of Eastwood movie posters on the wall while Takeda frowned at him.

"I think Cassie is just worried that you are always by yourself all the time," Takeda remarked. Jin groaned internally; he knew the opening lines of a pep talk when he heard it.

 _Always the voice of reason, aren't you Takeda?_

"All you do is wake up, train and then head back to your room," Takeda began, his tone concerned. "I get you wanna be by yourself, but every night? It ain't healthy."

"I'm out now aren't I?" Jin debated bitterly.

"We forced you to come out — big difference," Cassie said, pointing her green straw in his direction before she began to smash it absently at the ice in her glass.

Kung Jin threw his hands up, "I like to be alone - big deal!" he huffed. "Seriously guys, lay off."

"It would just be nice to see you without a bug up your ass now and then," Cassie interjected. "And I'm thinkin' getting you a little cushion for the pushin' might be what you need."

"By the Gods!" Kung Jin groaned; now he was getting exasperated.

Takeda scratched the back of his neck, and friendly but awkward smile on his face. "Ignore Cassie. Have you at least, I don't know, _try_ and meet anyone? I'm sure there're a couple of guys at the base that — "

Kung Jin had enough and shot up from his seat. The restaurant, the crappy greasy food and the conversation alone had worn out his patience, and now he wanted nothing more than to go home.

Jin stormed away even though he heard Cassie chastising him from behind for _'being a poor sport'_ and Takeda's pleading that they were sorry. He didn't care; he needed the air.

He vaguely heard the hostess at the front tell him to have a goodnight and for a moment he thought of flipping her off, but he knew she wasn't what he needed to direct his anger at.

The night air hit him when he pushed open the door and began to walk in the direction of the Special Forces Base. It was a ways away, but during his time as a thief he had trekked farther distances than 5 miles. 5 miles of angry striding was what he needed to calm his head.

It was aggravating that they still continued to pester him about the topic when he had told him to stop. After months of being patient, he had reached the end of his rope. It had been the icing on the cake of his already bad week, and he wanted nothing but to be left alone.

He knew the reason he hated the topic so much; it's was because of how alone it reminded him that he was. His friend's words were kind and thoughtful, even Cassie's under all the sarcastic remarks, but it still bothered him out of all of them, he still had no one. Takeda and Jacqui were a couple and Cassie... well she had her mirror.

Then there was Kung Jin. The solitary Shaolin Monk who had no idea where to begin when it came to relationships.

Jin still wanted all those things, but the scholarly Earthrealmer knew there wasn't a book that could help him out. He was hesitant about stepping into the pool in fear that as soon as he did, he would sink right to the bottom.

As hard as tried to put on a hardened exterior that none of this bothered him, he knew that the other's could see under the veil as well.

Kung Jin wanted to have someone to talk to, to laugh, to share a bond with that went beyond the parameters of friendship. He sighed knowing how difficult those things were even in the 21st century to find for someone; heterosexual or not.

He was starting to doubt he would ever find it at all...

Jin was passing by an alley when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It was dark, but he found a large, overweight white man in his forties with balding hair throwing a garbage bag into a nearby dumpster. Before he placed the bag harshly in the dumpster, Jin could barely make out something —alive — prodding against the plastic of the trash bag.

Kung Jin felt a warning flag immediately rise.

It was painfully obvious that the man knew he was doing something morally wrong because as soon as he saw Jin standing there, he jumped in surprise before he took off in the other direction.

"Hey!"

The man ignored him, and Kung Jin could hear the pitter-patter of his tubby feet splash in the puddles in the dark alley and for a moment, Jin thought of chasing him down but he was more interested in what he had discarded.

He wasn't sure exactly what he would find, but as soon as he heard the tiny mewing and saw the movement, he knew what he had thrown away.

Kittens.

Jin shook his head in disgust as he looked in the direction of where the man had fled.

It was such a cowardly and unnecessary way to get rid of them — the tub of Crisco couldn't just drop them off at a pet store or shelter? _Seriously?_

Kung Jin wouldn't call himself an animal lover, he had his favorite animals, sure, but cats were not too high on the list. Top 20, because he only had experience with feral cats; and they were nasty and mean.

He understood that nature had it's order and things like this happened every day, but it didn't mean he found it ok. Everything deserved a fighting chance, and this was disgusting.

Jin reached in and grabbed the knotted top of the bag to lift it from the dumpster. As he pulled them up, he felt the kittens tumble to the bottom and land on top of each other, and he grimaced; fearing that he might be hurting them.

As soon as the bag was free, he used his other hand to cup the bottom gently and set the bag gently on the ground. He could feel their tiny little claws through the plastic when he pulled his hand from the bottom and set them on the pavement.

The bag wobbled, the little creatures clamoring around the edges for an escape. Kung Jin pulled apart the knot with little effort despite the fat man had tied it tight. He unraveled the plastic and looked down to see 5 little faces of different color varieties meowing at him from inside. Jin immediately frowned at the 2 that lay motionless at the bottom of the bag, its siblings stepping over him and its mother; ignorant to both of their passing.

Jin threw an angry glance in the direction of where the fat tub of lard went; now he really wished he had chased him down and threw him in the dumpster —given him a taste of his own medicine.

He sighed down at the little fluff-balls that were trying to jump out of the bag, all of them seeking his attention the more the minutes dragged. Jin had to admit, even in their disheveled states, they were stinking cute.

They were all different shades which confused him. You figure that they would all be alike, but they all had their own defining characteristics. The ones that lay dead at the bottom was gray with white markings, same as his mother, but she was black and white.

He felt a claw scratch across the top of his fingers, and he glared down at the culprit; a jet black kitten with short hair and green eyes the color of jade.

"You little dirtbag, that hurt you know," Jin smirked, even though he didn't appreciate the skinny red cuts over the top of his ring finger.

All of a sudden, he heard a long, demanding cry come from the orange tabby with blue eyes. It did it once more, and Jin couldn't help but compare it to a tiny lion cub trying to grow into his adult roar.

Kung Jin chuckled at the kitten, "Giving me sass, tough guy?"

The other two, he noticed, although different in color, stuck together like two peas in a pod. Not once had the left each other's side. Like the others, they were adorable with their patterns. One was a mixture of orange, black and dark brown that meshed together like a smudged painting, with blue eyes that stared up at him in curiosity. The other was gray with a white spot on his nose and white 'socks' on both of the front of his feet, and unlike his friend, screamed at him.

The last one was the only one that had remained quiet for most of the time, only absently meowing when he could get a word in over it's siblings. Like his brothers and sisters, he was short haired, but he was a dirty shade of white with sapphire colored eyes. Out of all of them, he seemed to be the most mature of the bunch, which was strange for such a tiny little thing.

For some reason, it reminded him of Raiden. He felt it had a lot to do with the eyes since most of his white hair was dirty. "You're freaking me out cat."

The white haired kitten meowed at him, almost as if it was a response to his statement.

As he watched them wandering around the bag, and he began to feel the dirty water of the alley start soak through the fabric of his dark jeans, he started to wonder what he was going to do now. He rescued them, they would be ok, but what the heck was he going to do with 5 kittens?

He heard them all squeak at him, almost as if they were asking him the same question.

"Quit yelling at me," Jin told them.

Another set of mewing.

Jin nodded his head in playful agreement, "Yup. I hear you alright."

They all squeaked again in unison, and he laughed as it dragged on for a good while until it ended

"Tell me about it," Jin smiled. "No, really I wanna know."

The orange one yelled at him once more; the others quiet.

"You're the bossy one, aren't ya?" Jin said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I can tell."

Another ferocious kitten cry from the orange lion, almost as if he was annoyed by him.

Kung Jin stopped himself, realizing what he was doing and frowned deeply as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

Why was he having a conversation with kittens?

 _Get a grip, Jin._

Jin looked around the alley, knowing full well that he couldn't carry them around in the plastic bag. He saw something sticking out from behind the dumpster, and he smiled at how perfect it was.

Quickly he ran over to retrieve the box, and as he unfolded it, he noticed the kittens make their daring escape from the bag. They meowed and stumbled away, going in different directions as Jin raced over to grab them.

He laughed as he plucked the orange one from the ground, "Nope, you guys can't get away that easily."

Finally, he had all 5 of them bunched together like a tiny, smelly bouquet, and he grimaced when he could feel their rib cages through their matted fur. Carefully, he placed all of them in the large, cardboard box and watched as they investigated it. Their little claws scraped against the sides of the box while Jin went over to make sure he didn't truly forget anyone.

Gingerly, he placed two fingers on the mother and 6th kitten's body and frowned when he felt how stiff and cold they were; they had been dead long before going in the dumpster. He wrapped up the bag and covered it before he picked it up and set it gently to the side with a solemn sigh.

Jin looked back to see the black one making an attempt to escape.

"Oh no, you don't," Kung Jin said, pushing the black one back in the box. As Jin picked up the box and carried it, he found himself nudging them in the box as they tried to get out. Almost like a game of Whack-a-Mole, without the mallet.

They balanced uncoordinated in the box, and Jin couldn't help but laugh softly as they fell from the movements of him walking with them and tried with little success to stand back up again.

"You all look like little drunks," Jin chuckled, "That's it; I'm cutting you all off."

The meowed at him and at the new environment they were in, almost like a bunch of kids asking him questions on a road trip.

 _Who are you?_

 _Where are we going?_

 _What's this?_

 _What's that?_

 _I can count to potato!_

As Jin continued to push them back in the box for about a mile or so, he began to feel a slight headache form from a combination of the constant meowing and his inner thoughts. Now that the novelty of them wore off, what was he going to do with them?

Yes, they were cute, but he didn't have any use for them and sadly didn't want any of them. He just wanted to do his good deed and save them.

Now that he was thinking about it, he realized they were probably meowing so much was because they were starving. He grumbled at the fact that he would have to take care of them for at least one night.

Jin could sneak them into the base no problem, but finding them something to eat at this time of night, would be the tricky part.

At least it was better than hanging out with a hammered Cassie Cage.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Some kittens can have different father's, which is why they are so different in color and not the same. This fic serves as a reprieve when I need it from my other fic that I have going, so just a small warning the updates may be sporadic._

 _Hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, I got the Kombat Kids in character. Let me know your thoughts if you like to see more._

 _Thank you for reading. :)_


	2. Welcome to Petco

**A/N:** _Many thanks to all those that favorited, added the story to your alert subscriptions, and reviewed! Thank you so much! ^^_

 **Guest:** I never actually thought of Kotal Kahn being gay or bisexual, but I can't find a reason to disagree with it; I'm open to it. Love the pun for Erron btw. I see what you did there ;) **.** Thank you for your review! :)

 **fandelivres:** Thank you my friend! It is therapeutic in comparison to _Desperado_ that stresses me out now and then. lol. ^^; Happy you enjoyed it! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2  
** **Welcome to Petco: Get Your Shit and Get Out**

* * *

Kung Jin was fortunate to see the small pet store, called _The_ _Pet Stop_ , in the distance, in between a couple of other shops along a strip mall. However, what was unfortunate for him was that he saw the last employee of the night was already packed and ready to close; his key already turning in the lock.

"Wait, hold up!"

Jin ran as softly as he could with the box, trying not to jar the little fluffy babies inside too much from his movements. The employee turned his head in his direction and frowned instantly when he saw him run up to him. He was a caucasian kid with dark brown hair cut short and his brown eyes that looked as annoyed as the frown he had on his face. He was shorter than Jin and leaner, but not emaciated or chubby; just average.

The employee saw Jin and yawned, before placing a finger to the corner of his eye; didn't seem like he noticed the box.

"Sorry, we're already closed up for the night," he informed indifferently. He looked at the box briefly but shrugged it off.

Jin rolled his eyes. _Couldn't he see the box and put two and two together?_

"I don't care. Open it back up," Kung Jin, his tone impatient, "I got five mouths to feed."

The kid raised a tired eyebrow at him, "Good for you — who's the father?"

The Shaolin narrowed his eyes at him, "You're seriously not going to let me just grab what I need?" he questioned indignantly.

"We. Are. Closed," the employee reiterated, his tone growing more irked with each word.

He went to move around him, but he instantly blocked his path, "Look you minimum-wage asshole, just take a look in the box and tell me no," Kung Jin challenged firmly.

Jin knew perfectly well that if the guy saw the kittens that he would have a change of heart. If he didn't, he could always break into the store.

The employee rolled his eyes and sighed and Kung Jin mirrored him — also equally miffed by him. He walked over and lifted the leather jacket covering the box. As soon as he did, he saw a smile form slowly on his face; clearly it was enough to wake him up because his guarded demeanor changed.

Jin heard the kittens meowing curiously at the new face and felt the box shift towards the employee that looked down at them with a sympathetic smile. He glanced back at Kung Jin and flashed him a sheepishly guilty look.

"Well... I'm a dick," he said sigh. "I thought you had candy bars or something else in the box." Kung Jin suppressed an eye roll at the stupidity of the clerks' guess.

 _Really? Why in the hell would I have candy bars in a dirty cardboard box at 10 at night? Do I look like a Girl Scout, idiot?_

The kid reached in and gave the black one a little scratch on the head. "They're all so cute. How can I say _no_ to those faces?"

He nodded his head in the direction of the store, "C'mon," he said with a slight groan. "We'll get you what you need for them."

Kung Jin smirked, somewhat victoriously, and followed the pet store clerk as he turned the unlocked the door and stepped inside. He closed the door behind Jin before his hand went over to disarm the security alarm by punching in the code on the keypad.

 _4-5-6-7_

Jin scoffed internally; it was easy enough to remember and uninspired. He flicked on the lights and Kung Jin adjusted to the brightness; blinking his eyes a couple of times.

It was a relatively small store, though it carried something for every common household pet from hamsters to reptiles to fish. His eyes landed on the sign hanging over aisle 4 that had the black and white feline face attached to it.

He felt the clerk grab the box, and Jin reluctantly let him take it so he could set it down on the top of the counter.

"They'll be okay. The coat weighs it down," he reassured him, before snapping his fingers. "You're going to need kitten formula. They look like they're only a few weeks old; 5 at least."

He nodded and let the clerk lead him to the aisle. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about what to do, maybe he had kittens before as well because all of a sudden he started to pull things from the shelf without Jin's approval to do so. Everything from metallic bowls, to a canister of powdered formula, to nail clippers.

Without breaking eye contact with what he was grabbing, he addressed him, "Let me guess— they were abandoned."

"How could ya tell?" Jin asked, almost rhetorically.

The clerk rolled his eyes before he let out a disgusted huff, "Assholes. Anyways, I recommend you take them to a vet too. I'm not an expert on this, but at least they'll be feed. Google will be your friend. I suggest playing around with it before doing anything with them. By the way, be careful feeding them 'cause they might eat too fast, and they'll end up hurting themselves more."

The Shaolin raised an eyebrow, "For not being an expert you seem to know what you're doing," he commented with a blase tone.

"I had a kitten that was 8 weeks old, but he was taken care of already. So like I said—I'm guessing," the employee said, scratching his chin before he felt the items start to fall from his grip. The formula dropped and the plastic lid popped off, luckily it was sealed.

"You dropped it. I'm not paying for it," the archer stated plainly, his eyebrow raised.

The pet store employee rolled his eyes, mumbled _'smart ass'_ under his breath before suddenly handling the items to him. Caught off guard, Jin started to fumble with them before he got a good hold. He had a small bag of dry kitten food, a bag of non-clumping litter, a small litter box and nail clippers. The kid grabbed a new canister of formula and patted it on top of the pile.

"You'll need some Neosporin for yourself — you can get a staph infection from their dirty little claws," the clerk added, nodding his head towards the small cuts on his fingers. "My aunt took in a stray cat, it cut her and off to the hospital she went."

"Exciting story," Jin replied simply, his tone conveying the opposite.

He shrugged, "Mind asking why you didn't drop them off at the animal shelter on the way here? You must have passed it— its literally down the street."

He wasn't wrong — Kung Jin had past it on his way here, but it was closed. There had been a small drop box to drop animals off after hours, but after the fact they just got dumped in a dumpster hours earlier, it didn't feel all that right. Besides they needed food. The former theif knew how it felt to go days without food, and he didn't feel it right to make the kittens wait any longer. He'd check in on the shelter tomorrow, but for now he take care of them.

"All they had was a shitty drop-box. Plus I asked the kids and they didn't seem to keen on wanting to go down the chute," Kung Jin explained, a small grin tugging at the corner his mouth.

The employee scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, I don't like that thing either. Reminds me of the fireplace from _Home Alone_ for some reason."

He brushed his joke off; deciding to change the subject: "Do I have enough shit for one night?" he asked, nodding his head towards the items he was forced to hold. "I just came in here for food."

"You can never know for sure," the clerk winked, "Besides, I'm still doing my job."

He blinked blankly at him; not amused by his joke and at the feeling his wallet was being taken advantage of.

The kid waved a hand, "I'm kidding. You should be good to go. I'd sell you an expensive toy, but you wouldn't find it funny."

 _Oh, I'd find it funny. Especially after beating you to death with it._

"I'll find a shoe lace," Kung Jin answered with a dull tone. "I'm sure they won't know the difference."

The clerk chuckled before he passed Jin and walked with him to the register. He discarded the contents on the counter before he went over to the box to make sure everyone was accounted for. He heard the register beep alive as the employee pulled each item across the counter; a small smile on his face as he watched Jin for a moment before turning his attention back on the register.

Kung Jin lifted the coat and all five faces, who were meandering around the box, suddenly came wobbling towards him; screaming their little kitten heads off.

"Would you all just relax?" Jin insisted, throwing his hand towards the register, "I'm buying your crap."

The orange tabby, the self-proclaimed leader of the bunch, squeaked loudly and reminded him that they were hungry.

"I haven't forgotten you're hungry, you tiny, bossy jerk."

The dirty, white one gave a small mew, turning his sapphire eyes to Jin with a blank look. Almost as if saying: _We are just making sure. You cannot blame us._ The brown and gray one also looked at him, meowing in agreement.

"Ya, Ya, I got you all," He grumbled into the box.

The black one, who had been in the corner, suddenly charged forward and tackled the orange one to the ground. The orange kitten seemed more than displeased with the sneak attack and meowed in annoyance, trying to twist around and kick his brother off. The black hunter sank its teeth into the scruff of orange's neck and earned a genuine cry of pain from the one he was assaulting.

Kung Jin's eyes narrowed and reached into the box, prying the two apart by wiggling his index fingers between them. "Hey! Knock it off you two."

The black one looked at him with confused jade eyes, while the orange one meowed at him with irritation; almost screaming at Jin that he didn't need his intervention.

"Ya you're welcome — you were only getting your ass kicked," Kung Jin snorted at him. The orange squeaked angrily at him, and he meowed childishly back, mocking his demanding tone.

"Meow _yourself_ , jerk."

"Do you talk with all your strays or do I need to call the asylum and tell them to expect one more?"

Kung Jin frowned heavily at the clerk's sarcastic comment behind him. Reminding him that he was doing the dialogue-thingy with the cats, he was trying to forget he did in the alley.

 _Ugh. Great. There were witnesses now._

The side of his mouth picked up in bitter embarrassment. "How much you stealing from me?" Jin spat, nodding his head towards the items already packed in the bags.

"72.13," he informed nonchalantly.

His eyebrows shot up at the absurd price: "70 bucks? Are you kidding? There's like 6 items!"

The clerk shrugged his shoulder and replied indifferently, "Welcome to parenthood," He tsked, clicking his tongue suddenly and shook his head, "And you didn't even buy them a toy, either. Shame on you."

To make matters worse, all the kittens meowed at him all at once; as if they had overheard and were complaining that there was no toy. Kung Jin felt his eye twitch.

 _No toy? This is an outrage!_

 _What will we do?!_

 _How will we go on?!_

 _Call the authorities! Have them drag him in by his ponytail!_

 _I ate a bug once. It was crunchy._

The store clerk started to laugh at the kittens crying from the box, completely humored by Jin's aggravated expression and the yelling that the kittens agreed with him.

After a minute of constant meowing, Kung Jin threw his hands in the air impatiently and gave in. "I'll get them a damn toy! By the Gods!"

He heard the clerk snicker under his breath, the kittens mewing continuously as Jin marched to the cat aisle and grabbed the first thing he found which was a stick with a toy mouse that chattered mechanically with each movement. To add insult, the toy chirped with each heated footstep back towards the register.

Step. _Squeak._ Step. _Squeak._ Step. _Squeak._

Of course, he had to grab the most annoying thing he could find.

The peeved Shaolin gave the pet store employee a resentful frown before he slammed the toy against the counter, earning a strained squeak from the toy, without breaking eye contact with him.

He grinned and beeped the toy across the glass, punched a few buttons to add the toy, and then told him with a blank tone: "80.45. Debit or Credit?"

"Have you ever ate your teeth for breakfast before?" Kung Jin huffed, completely irritable at how much the toy bumped up the price.

"It ain't my fault you grabbed that one," the clerk fired back with a casual tone.

Grumbling with a sour look on his face, Kung Jin pulled out his brown leather wallet out of his back, jean pocket and pulled out what money he had in it. Unfortunately, he thought he had more, but came up 7 bucks short.

"Oh _noooo_ ," Jin commented with a mock saddened tone, reaching into the bag of the stupid toy he was forced to buy. "Sorry, no toy. We can't afford it, guys."

The kittens squeaked in the box, seemingly out of anguish that they toy would not be apart of the purchase after all.

The white one looked at him once more and squeaked ferociously: _You will pay for your foul transgression, Kung Jin. This will not be forgotten. Mark my words and quiver in terror._

The orange chimed in as well, more demanding than the white one: _YEAH! You're a shithead—and where the hell is my kitten food?! I'm gonna kitten slap the shit out of you, punk!_

The other kittens mewed pitifully as well.

"Oh, grow up all of you," Kung Jin shot at the box.

"Oh look. I found some money. I guess it goes back in the bag," he heard the clerk say behind him.

Jin raised an eyebrow as the employee reached into his own pocket and pulled out a 10 dollar bill. He immediately felt his face drop in exasperation when he plucked it from his hand and put it back in the plastic bag with a smug look.

 _You charitable dick._

"My fluffy brats thank you," was all he could muster politely through his teeth.

He laughed, "Call it a _'don't bother me after hours'_ fund."

"Don't worry — I won't be," the Shaolin disclosed.

"You're welcome by the way, douche," he replied with an ire scoff. Jin didn't say anything, rolled his eyes and instead grabbed the plastic bags by looping them through his forearm before picking up the box once more.

The kitten tumbled, having a hard time gaining balance as he walked to the door. Regrettably, the door was had a knob, and he had his hands full. The employee noticed and ran over to help him. He turned the handle, let him exit which Jin thanked with a slight nod, before flipping off the lights and locking up once more.

The Shaolin stopped for a moment, feeling the food and litter weigh down his forearm heavily and he hesitated; wondering how far he make it to the base before the bag would eventually tear. He let out a sigh. He was stuck in this mess, no point in complaining about it. Kung Jin marched in the direction of the base before he heard the sound of a car pull up next to him.

The employee must of had the same idea that the bag wouldn't hold, or felt sorry because he rolled down the passenger side window.

"Hey, do you need a ride?" he questioned sincerely.

He shook his head, "I can manage, thanks."

On cue, the plastic bag broke and spilled the bag of food, litter and the stupid toy across the pavement. Kung Jin threw his head back and groaned: "Are you kiddin' me?!"

He heard the car door open and saw the clerk come around and collected the fallen items from the ground. He started place them through the open passenger side window on the floor and before he could protest, he interrupted.

"Hey, idiot. I know you're proud, but get in the car," he said, jerking his thumb impatiently towards the car door.

As much as the hot-headed Shaolin didn't want to admit it, he knew he could use the ride. He doubted the kid was a serial killer out to steal his fuzzy companions so besides being annoying, there wasn't much for Kung Jin to worry about. Reluctantly, he opened the passenger side door and climbed into the blue Ford Taurus. He dumped the bags on the ground and settled the box on his lap as the clerk jumped in.

He closed the driver side door and closed the passenger side window by pressing the button off to the side. Kung Jin lifted the coat off and looked down at the baby cats looking up at him as they drove away from the pet store.

"Where to?" he asked Jin.

"Special Forces Base," he instructed him. "It's by the docks near—"

"Yeah, yeah I know I pass it on my way to work," he said impassively.

Kung Jin let out a small _'pfft'_ before he reached down and pulled apart the dry kitten food bag scooped up a handful. He placed the handful in the box and watched as the tiny bits of kibble roll around like little, edible marbles.

The kittens took notice and started to hunt down the kibbles one at a time. Each of them going their separate directions and nibbling the bits loudly. The black cat sailed across the box, pouncing on a kibble that tried to escape his tiny little clutches, that rolled away anyway; all the kitten managed to do was hit his head against the side of the box. Jin laughed at that, watching him stumble away in embarrassment.

 _Quite the majestic little hunter, aren't ya?_

The clerk leaned over and looked inside the box, gave a tiny laugh and said: "Looks like _Hungry, Hungry Hippos_."

Kung Jin laughed softly at that; he had to agree it did look like the game.

"You're not right _on_ the base are you?" he asked suddenly; concern in his voice. "Does Special Forces allow you guys to have pets?"

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone," Kung Jin told him. "Just going to take care of them for one night."

"Hmm," the clerk mused. "Can I ask how you are going to get them in? I don't think they will think you're selling candy bars in the box."

"I'll be fine," the Shaolin reassured him.

Although, he did have to ask himself the same question in his head. He doubted that sneaking all of the noisy, hungry kittens in would be easy. The night certainly hadn't been so far.

Why stop now and make it easy for him?

Kung Jin felt a headache forming for the third time that tonight.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Chapter title based on a Jeff Dunham joke, one with the Walter puppet, so I don't own it. Also no offense to Petco - I'm a customer.  
_

 _Next chapter will be Jin trying to get on the Special Forces Base, and you'll find out the names of the kittens. ^^_

 _Thank you for reading, let me know if you guys have ideas for things you like to see. Leave a review and I'll see you next chapter. :)_


	3. Purr-suasion

**A/N:** _Thank you everyone that reviewed last chapter. I know I promised that you would see Jin get in the base, but this chapter was getting long and I haven't updated for some time. Here's something to hold you over for now._

* * *

 **Chapter 3  
** **Purr-suasion**

* * *

As they crossed the overpass, heading towards the familiar but shrouded dark square outline of Special Forces Base, Kung Jin couldn't help but feel a small stone of nervousness rest in him.

After years of being a thief, and when he was to the skill level that people sought his services, he had always had a plan beforehand. He would spend a couple of days at the most to scope out the weak points, memorize routines and look for any potential problems. Now, he was trying to come up with some half-ass plan with only a couple of minutes left on the clock.

He had gotten into locations that had the same amount of security — one of them being Qincheng Prison, which on occasion he couldn't help comparing the base to when he succumbed to bouts of boredom. However, Jin had always been on his own and never had passengers— especially ones that were infants and with bags of groceries on top of it all.

The usually cocky and confident Shaolin, who thought he could handle any covert operation, felt less than reassured he could get the 5 kittens into the base the closer their destination loomed in the distance.

They passed over the bridge, the only sound in the car were the radio with the volume set so low that they could barely hear any of the songs. The only other noticeable noises came from the kittens that meowed and scampered around the box; constantly looking up at him with the curiosity as if questioning him what the plan of action was or when they were going to eat. Jin guessed the latter even though he couldn't help but think they were asking the former as well.

Staring at them grew to be a distraction, so reluctantly Jin placed the leather jacket back over the top so he could gather a game plan; their adorable mugs kept sidetracking him.

They passed the _Gas-and-Go_ on their right and the small playground near the apartment complexes grew closer in the distance— only a couple of miles left.

Kung Jin immediately felt a frown form on his face. Soon they would pass the _YMCA_ and then another bridge to the shipyard where the Special Forces Base was neighbored to.

The one thing he did have to his advantage was that he had a pass to get on the base. However, there were always guards stationed at the entrances. Jin knew as soon as he saw it, the guard would most definitely ask what was in the box if he didn't hear the meowing first.

Even, if he did make it past the gate, his next obstacle would be avoiding the suspicious eyes of other people on the base to get to his room. Not an easy feat considering the box and groceries was an eyesore that would immediately draw attention.

He let out an agitated sigh.

There was no way he could go through the front door.

The only thing he could think of on short notice was to ignore going through the front gate and sneak the kittens in one at a time and then follow the same procedure with the food.

He had snuck in and out of the base before; the oak tree by the perimeter wall where the obstacle course was the perfect ladder for getting in and out. The only dilemma, the housing units were a good mile away and there was a camera that swiveled every now and then along the top of the wall.

He had been successful in avoiding detection so far— always managing to time it right—but he was wary about using multiple attempts and testing his luck.

However, with cameras stationed along nearly every wall, he knew eventually after many attempts to and fro, that one would catch a glimpse of him jumping the wall. If found, he knew there would be a barrage of questions from Cage Sr. or Jr. — or worse, the General— about why he was sneaking in rather than just going through the front door.

Either way, he was dreading it all, but he knew his best option would be to sneak them in one at a time by jumping the wall.

Hopefully, the driver would be okay with him taking the time he needed. Grudgingly and now that he had something of a half-ass plan that sounded doable, he needed the driver's compliance. Jin frowned sorely at the thought. Even he knew he probably hadn't made the best first impression.

The car ride was even worse than the store visit. Most of it had consisted of them listening to the radio in silence and the occasional awkward cough. Unfortunately, the quiet in the car didn't help to alleviate the uncomfortable tension exaggerated by the periodic side-glance at each other. Jin didn't care for him and the pet store clerk knew that too, which is why they both refrained from any small talk.

Jin did appreciate the lift; it was a nice gesture especially considering how he had barged in on him after closing hours. However, it didn't mean that he couldn't help but feel that he had been overcharged for all the cat crap.

Reluctant and annoyance with each other aside, he was going need the clerk's help until he got all the kittens in the base. He had a feeling is the kid was willing to give him a lift, perhaps another small favor wouldn't be something he would turn down; Jin couldn't think of a reason he would say no and if he did he could always persuade him.

Although, he could be wrong. He only knew the guy for a half an hour. Maybe he was as sick of Jin as he was of him and wanted to get him out of the car the first opportunity he had.

Kung Jin sighed and looked out the window as they came to a red light. Since it was only a matter of time before they got within the perimeters of the base, he decided to finally address his plan of action to him.

"So, take the next street to the right after this," Jin instructed him.

The clerk's eyebrows furrowed in confusion: "You trying to go to the gym at 11 at night? You get to the base by taking the left street."

Jin rolled his eyes; he knew about the _YMCA_ he was referring to. "We are still going to the base, but we are going a different way."

"Whatever," the clerk answered, the exasperation in his sigh evident.

The Shaolin glanced out of the corner of his eye to see a yellow taxi pull up by their car, waiting for the light to turn as well.

Kung Jin felt something fuzzy brush against the surface of his fingers and clamp down sharply.

He looked down to see little white paws resting on his ring and middle finger and a small white head poke its way over the rim of the box.

He had placed the leather coat over the box just so they didn't distract him from his thoughts. Apparently, the dirty white kitten did not like being veiled and had poked his head over the edge of the box for Jin's attention.

Sapphire colored eyes looked up at Jin and fought against the weight of the jacket from sending him back into the box. Jin could hear his back feet scratch against the inside of the cardboard for leverage as he clung to Jin's fingers like a tiny rock climber.

 _I have sprung from my prison to remind you, Kung Jin, you need to show patience. He has aided us more than what was obligated of him._

Those large azure eyes melted the ice around Kung Jin's cold and indifferent demeanor for a moment. Jin looked down at the ivory kitten with a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Gently, he lifted him under his armpits and picked him up from the box. He hated feeling the protrusion of bones beneath the layer of fluff and skin, it made him feel guilty for holding him in such a manner, so he opted for cupping under his bottom in his palm while he cradled him against his chest.

The white kitten gazed up at him and meowed softly. _This position is much more suitable. I thank you, Kung Jin._

 _"You know your not really talking. It's just me, going crazy after being around Cage. Her insanity has rubbed off."_ Jin internally scolded the kitten; as if the two were having a telepathic communication. _So this is what conversation between Takeda and his Dad must be like. Except... I'm just going nuts._

The white kitten looked at up at him and suddenly, Jin felt the small tremors from its chest vibrate against his fingers and heard the sound of purring emanating from him. Jin refused to budge as his heavy frown morphed on his face; fighting the urge to smile again.

"I am immune to your adorable nature," Jin told him, although he felt unconvinced by his statement. "Don't even try to win me over with that head tilt thing you guys do."

Much to his displeasure, the white kitten cocked his head to the side in the most adorable and perplexed way possible that made Jin let out a groan.

"Not to interrupt the cute _Adopt a Pet Commercial_ moment, but do you know those guys?"

The suddenly concerned question from the clerk made Jin snap back to reality and turn his head towards who he was indicating.

Kung Jin was vaguely aware that the light had turned green, he could feel the emerald blaring hue from the streetlight cast a blinding shadow on his face, but both cars stayed where they were. The street was dead, which allowed Takeda and Jacqui, who had been in the taxi car, to venture out and look in at Jin holding a kitten in his hands in the opposite car.

Jin froze like a mouse cornered by a chief that caught him stealing cheese. His eyes widened in alarm before his head dropped in embarrassment and let out a sigh to accompany his feelings of being caught red-handed before he even got to the base.

Takeda tapped on the window with a finger and the pet store clerk rolled down the passenger side window with the automatic switch. Kung Jin, very aware he was holding one of his lovable and fluffy contraband in his hands for both of them to see, kept his eyes glued on the dashboard in front of him.

He could see the Shirai Ryu ninja vaguely cock a smile out the corner of his eye as he crossed his arms over the window's ledge, leaned on it and continued to smiledat the little bundle in the Shaolin's hands.

"So we made you so mad that you went out and found a new friend to hang out with?" Takeda teased. The white kitten looked at Takeda and squeaked in his direction.

Jacqui leaned in as well and shrugged at Takeda, "Yeah, can't say I blame him. He's cute. But seriously, Jin, why they hell do you have a kitten?"

"Trust, me it's a long freaking story," Jin groaned impatiently.

The drivers of both cars noticed the headlights of a few cars coming in their in their direction behind them and so did the passengers. Takeda gave a glance and then hurried with Jacqui back to the car. "There's a park— we'll meet you over there for story time."

The taxi took off first which allowed the pet store clerk to follow behind in the taxi.

"I'm just going to assume you are close to those two," the clerk said out loud, almost as if musing to himself.

"You're a sharp one aren't ya?" Jin muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"They work on the base with you?" he asked.

"Yeah— they're my teammates," Jin replied.

"I guess that means your secret is out," the pet store clerk sighed, nodding his head towards the white kitten in Jin's clutches.

Jin felt the side of his mouth tug up with an unsure grimace. The white kitten also looked up at him, his head tilting once again at the Shaolin. _Do you suspect that Takeda and Jacqueline Briggs would inform the General, Kung Jin?_

 _I don't know fluffy. Takeda probably would of let it slide, but Briggs follows the rules like a sheep._

The ivory cat purred, blinking softly at him. _Fret not. I believe there will be a different outcome based on what I have seen by the reaction of Jacqueline Briggs._

Kung Jin pinched the bridge of his nose, rolling his eyes at his own lunacy. _I'm having an internal conversation with a cat and I'm making it sound like freakin' Raiden. Get a grip, Jin!_

The Archer felt a slight uncomfortable wave of despondency wash over him. He honestly did not know what to expect from Takeda or Jacqui. Perhaps if it had just been his Shirai Ryu friend, it would have been no issue with him holding a secret. Jacqui was by the books however and doubt would run and tell General Blade as soon as she got on the base.

"Listen," Kung Jin began, his tone solemn. "If I can't get these little guys into the base... you might need to take them."

There was a hopefulness that he was forcing himself to hide in his voice. In all honesty, it was the best idea he had so far. Let the pet store clerk take them. He apparently knew more about taking care of cats than the former thief did. Jin didn't even want them to begin with. He had already paid him by buying all the things that he clerk would need anyway. It was the best option for everyone.

Unfortunately, Kung Jin was not going to get off that easy.

"I can't have any more pets in my rental and besides— finders keepers," the clerk refused sternly. "I'll help you out tonight, but I'm sorry I can't keep them."

Jin huffed. "Great. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," the employee bit back with a indignant sarcastic tone.

The kitten in his hands looked up at him and began to climb up his white shirt. Jin felt the sharp, needle-like claws dig through the fabric and into the flesh of his chest. Frankly, it hurt and he did not like it. Kung Jin grabbed the kitten, wrapping his fingers around his stomach and pulled. Like bubblegum stuck on the sidewalk, the kitten's claws remained latched onto the shirt and pulled it with him.

The kitten clung to the shirt like velcro as the Shaolin worked to remove each digit one by one. The kitten seemed to glare at him, meowing harshly at Jin.

 _How dare you consider your abandonment of us! We are not litter to be discarded because you feel inadequate to the responsibilities!_

Suddenly, as if he had heard the argument taking place, the orange kitten poked his head through the leather jacket and flopped on Jin's lap ungracefully; tumbling like a ball for a moment.

He stumbled around, just as Jin put the white kitten on his lap and formed a wall with his arms as the cats sat on his thighs. The orange tabby yelled at him, his ears flapping back in anger.

 _You're not getting rid of us that easily, you dick! You pulled us out of the dumpster and you're going to throw us away just like Tubby? Shame on you and shame on your ponytail!_

Kung Jin noticed the park in the distance and could barely make out the silhouette of Takeda and Jacqui sitting under the bench under the large oak tree on the outside of the playground equipment. The park was abandoned and the only light source came from the tan glow of the streetlights that were placed around the perimeter of the parking lot. Both of the lovebirds sat on the bench gave each other a glance before looking back at Jin.

Kung Jin could read Takeda's lips. _"Looks like Cassie didn't need to be his wingman after all."_

Jacqui gave a teasing smirk in Jin's direction.

The Shaolin narrowed his eyes at the telepath. _Shut the hell up Takeda, before I strangle you with your own whips._

The car pulled up to the parking lot and Kung Jin noticed Takeda and Jacqui lift themselves off the bench and walked towards the car. Kung Jin saw the cab parked off in the farthest corner of the lot; as if instructed to wait for further orders as the meter ran.

Jin sighed, placed both of kittens back in the box with their siblings and exited the car with the box in his hands. He felt them clamor around for footing as he approached his comrades.

Takeda seemed receptive while Jacqui approached with a stoic expression and her arms crossed over her chest. Jin immediately frowned as soon as he saw the puzzled look she wore. He heard the driver's side door close and looked over his shoulder to see the clerk lean against the door and reach for his phone in his coat pocket. He stayed against the door, texting and gave Jin his space.

Kung Jin interrupted Takeda before he could ask about the cats.

"Where's Sergeant Drunk?" Kung Jin quipped with a flat tone. It didn't go unnoticed that Cassie wasn't with them.

Takeda scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as Jacqui gave a chuckle.

"She was singing ' _Mickey'_ on the karaoke before we called it a night. Mr. Cage is on his way to pick her up before she sends the rest of the bar running with her singing," Jacqui told him. She shook her head. "I love her, but girlfriend can't sing to save her life."

"I think I heard dogs howling before we left," Takeda ridiculed softly. The ninja nodded his head towards the clerk playing on his phone. "Who's your new human friend?"

"Nobody," Jin replied immediately. "He's just giving me a lift to the base."

"Mmmhm," Takeda mused with a skeptical smirk. He glanced down at the box and looked back at Kung Jin with a pointed look. "And your tiny furry friends?"

Kung Jin walked towards the grass, both of his teammates following behind him as he lay the box on the grass. Takeda and Jacqui crouched down, all of them sitting on their knees as Jin removed the leather coat from the top of the cardboard box.

The five kitten faces gazed up at the three humans looking down on them and squeaked loudly in unison. Takeda gave Jacqui side-glance and Jin noticed a smile forming on her face. Even the tomboy's firm resolve was broken down by the sight of them.

"When I was leaving the bar I saw a guy throwing them in the dumpster," Kung Jin told them, plucking the white kitten from the box. He settled his butt on the grass and let the white one rest on his lap. The white kitten gazed at Jacqui and Takeda before returning his attention back to the Shaolin and meowing quietly.

"I couldn't walk by," Jin admitted with a weary sigh. "I was just going to bring them to the base, take care of them and then find them a better cat owner than me."

"Jin," Jacqui sighed, her tone stern. "You know there are _no_ pets allowed in the base."

"No shit, Briggs. That's why I said it's not permanent," Jin huffed. He shook his head, giving a sigh and stroking the fur of the white kitten. The kitten's eyes closed at the touch, apparently liking it. "But I'm stuck with them until they are better. I pulled them out of the dumpster and they're mine for a little bit whether I like it or not."

All of them heard scratching and noticed the gray and white kitten hurdling out of the box. He managed to wiggle his way over the ledge before Jacqui caught him before he could fall to the grass. Takeda reached inside and plucked the calico, who was meowing in vain that his sibling had abandoned him. The orange and black kitten remained inside, both of them on their hind legs seeking attention and meowing at both Takeda and Jacqui.

Takeda lifted the bronze and black kitten, lifting him to eye level with a hand under his furry bottom. "What? You jealous because nobody is giving you attention, little guy?"

Jacqui tilted her head to the side, inspecting the kitten Takeda was holding as she held the gray and white kitten to her chest. "That's a girl."

Takeda furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you know?"

"She's a calico— all calicos are girls," Jacqui answered.

"Oh," was all that Takeda said. He placed the kitten on his lap. "I'm sorry about that ma'am."

The white, amber and black mixed kitten just stared at him, blinking slightly before she flopped on her back. Takeda wiggled his finger at her, causing the kitten to playfully bat at his fingers with excitement. She hooked her nails into Takeda's fingers.

"Ow... I know you're a girl and I should be nice but that hurts," Takeda laughed.

The calico brought Takeda's fingers down to her mouth and clamped down as her back feet started to kick his palm and wrist relentlessly. It reminded Kung Jin of kangaroos and he smiled at it.

 _I am a vicious killer. Fear me apprentice of Scorpion._

Jacqui also smiled at it before Kung Jin turned his attention towards her. "You know stuff about cats?"

Jacqui shrugged her shoulders. "We had cats in the barn."

"Then you can help get them back to fighting shape," Takeda suddenly piped up. Kung Jin raised an eyebrow at how eager he sounded.

Jacqui shook her head. "Hold on, now. I didn't say I was going to help you bring them to the base. I'm not Cassie— I actually like following the rules."

"Military stick in the mud— go figure," Kung Jin mumbled under his breath, earning a glare from the Specialist. Jin sighed; knowing his comment was not helping to sway her to his side.

"It would just be until they weren't skin and bones— trust me I'm not thinking of starting an illegal a zoo in my room anytime soon. I can't get them to the base by myself," the Shaolin confessed.

Jacqui let out an unenthusiastic sigh, the corner of her mouth tugging up with skepticism. She shook her head and Jin could tell she was already crumbling to give in.

She tried her best to hold in her smile, her mouth twitching to keep it in a straight line.

"C'mon Jacqui," Takeda pleaded softly. "They need it."

To make matters worse for her and bring her over to their side, her reservations began to vanish when the gray and white kitten lifted his tiny paw and softly grazed Jacqui's chin; resting its paw on her chin. The gray kitten looked up at her and she laughed softly under her breath at the display of affection.

The gray kitten mewed at her. _Please Jacqueline Briggs. We need your help._

To make matters worse, Takeda suddenly came over to Jacqui's side, held the calico's paw with his hand and stroked it against the Specialist's cheek like he was removing dirt from her face with a wash cloth. Jacqui instantly frowned with irritation. Kung Jin could tell it was working to convince her and she did not like it.

"C'mon... look how cute I am. My paws are so soft. You know you wanna," Takeda teased with a smile as Jacqui frowned incredibly hard in annoyance at Takeda. Each stroke from the kitten's paw causing her to grow more agitated.

"Alright fine. I hate the two of you," Jacqui growled.

Kung Jin looked down at the white kitten in his lap who lifted its head at the Shaolin and meowed softly. _See Kung Jin_ — _you worry too much. Jacqueline Briggs is a worthy ally in our endeavor._

 _You are not Raiden!_

The white kitten cocked his head at Jin. _Who is this Raiden you speak of? Is he a feline as well?_

The group suddenly turned to see the pet store clerk coming towards them, looking somewhat disgruntled and impatient. "Hey, I'm not trying to be rude but I was wondering if you still needed me to give you a lift to the base."

Kung Jin frowned heavily at him and was about to tell him to hit the road until Takeda interrupted as he stood up.

"Hey, sorry we weren't trying to ignore you," Takeda held out a hand, the other cradling the calico to his chest. "I'm Takeda, this is my girlfriend Jacqui and you've met Kung Jin."

The clerk took Takeda's hand as he gave a friendly smile. "Jasper. Nice to meet you guys," he said with a warm smile that was followed by a yawn.

"Tell you the truth — we are still trying to figure out a way to get these little guys in," Takeda admitted. "You wouldn't mind hanging out a little while longer just in case we need you?"

"No, that's fine," Jasper responded with an indifferent shrug. "Just gotta tell my sister to let my dog out. I don't want to come home to a nice brown accident by the front door again."

Takeda and Jacqui chuckled quietly while Jin rolled his eyes at the comment. Jasper walked away for a moment and dialed his phone before placing it to his ear, leaving the three alone once again.

Jacqui nodded her head over to the cab. "Well, since we got a ride — I'll go pay the cab driver beforewe can't afford it."

Jacqui placed the gray and white kitten back in the box before she rose. Takeda reached into his pocket and pulled out his half of the cash and handed it to her before she walked off.

With Jasper on the phone and Jacqui off to pay the cab driver, Takeda glanced over at Kung Jin with a humored smile that he didn't need to be telepathic to read what Takeda was thinking.

"He works at the pet store and offered me a lift after I bought the food," Kung Jin snapped, the white kitten sitting silently in his lap. "I'm not marrying him, so you can wipe that stupid grin off your face."

Takeda shrugged innocently. "I was just curious how you two knew each other."

The telepath looked over at Jasper and then back to Jin briefly before looking down at the kitten in his lap, who was nibbling on Takeda's fingers like a dog with a chew toy.

The orange kitten roared from within his confines of the box, specifically at Kung Jin. The Shaolin let out an obnoxious groan. "For the love of the Elder Gods will you be quiet, already!"

The golden tabby squeaked defiantly at him. _I will not be told to shut up, ponytail swine! I am a ferocious lion—fear my roar, Shaolin Duck!"_

Takeda snickered at the kitten. "Wow, he really doesn't like you."

"The feeling is mutual," Kung Jin remarked with a dour tone. "He hasn't stopped bitching at me. I think I might name that one Cassie if it's a girl."

Takeda laughed. "Uh oh. Don't start naming them. You might get attached to them, but since we are naming them— that white one has to be named RJ."

"RJ?" Kung Jin questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Raiden Junior," the Shirai Ryu explained. "That's who he reminds me of."

Kung Jin rolled his eyes. _Of course, I couldn't be the only one to think that he looks like Raiden._

The white kitten looked up at Jin and the Archer looked down at the kitten. The blue eyes blinked blankly at him before he mewed. _RJ. The name is a suitable moniker. Very, well. I shall except the name even though I do not know who I am named after. Also, my siblings and I still require sustenance. Our hunger pains us still._

Kung Jin rolled his eyes.

 _Yeah. You're definitely Raiden._

The black kitten within the box jumped for the edge, scrambled to get a foothold and ended up tumbling back into the box. The black kitten stalked around the box absently, mewing for an escape he couldn't find.

Suddenly and without provocation, the orange one yelled at the ebony one in the same distempered and authoritative manner into his face. The black kitten stared for a moment before he wiggled his butt, launched himself at the orange kitten, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. The fought against each other, the orange one peeved he was losing and tried to kick the black one off. This time, Jin didn't intervene and instead smiled.

 _Kick that tiny jerk's ass, panther cat._

A minute had passed before the cab driver took off and Jacqui returned. She stood over the two boys with her hands on her hips. "So what was your plan to sneak the munchkins into the base ,anyway?" she inquired with a dubious tone. "Hop the wall with them one by one?"

Jin grumbled as a response, confirming to Takeda and Jacqui her speculation was correct.

"So what's _your_ plan?" the Shaolin fired back.

"We could do the same scheme, just split up and regroup," the ninja offered after a moment of silence. "We have three people. You and I will take however many we can carry and Jacqui and Jasper can use the car to drive on the base. We jump the wall and Jacqui can meet us in your room."

"There's only one problem," Jin groaned. "I have cat crap to carry inside too."

Takeda crossed his arms over his chest. "We can do that last. Priority is the poof balls inside first."

"There's another problem," Jacqui interrupted. "How are we going to keep them quiet? I know Freddie at the gate won't be searching in the trunk so Jasper and I can get the cat stuff in. But these guys are loud and wiggling around. Somebody's gonna notice."

Takeda frowned instantly; Jacqui had a valid point. Even though the base would be somewhat dead at this time at night, the sound of the kittens and their movements alone through their clothing wouldn't go unnoticed on their trek to the housing units.

"Fine. How do we get them to shut up then?" Jin demanded. Kung Jin noticed Jasper open the passenger side door and grab something from the bag of groceries. He walked over to the group with the canister of kitten formula in his hands as he pocketed his cell phone.

"Why don't you try feeding them?" He said, tossing the jar at Jin who caught it in one hand. "They're hungry and that's probably why they are meowing. Feed them and they might go to sleep."

Kung Jin gave Jasper a glower that he had obviously been eavesdropping despite Takeda and Jacqui brushing it off. Jasper returned the look towards the Shaolin.

Takeda shrugged. "That's not a bad idea at all. If they fall asleep, it'll be a piece of cake getting them in."

"One problem, _Sherlock_ ," Kung Jin grumbled at Jasper, reading the back of the kitten formula. "We need warm water and bowls to feed them with. Where are we gonna find hot water?"

"Hey _Watson_ , in case you didn't notice, there was a gas station nearby. I'll go nuke some water bottles in a microwave, grab some paper bowls and be back," Jasper shot back.

Kung Jin narrowed his eyes and looked down at the white kitten who had his ears back.

"You want one of us to go with you?" Takeda asked, calling out to pet store clerk.

Jasper waved a dismissive hand at the Shirai Ryu without looking behind him. "It's cool. I'll be back in five."

All three of them watched as Jasper get into his car and drove off. Kung Jin scoffed. "What blew up his ass?"

"He's annoyed with how you've been treating him and he just got chewed out by his sister," Takeda answered with a matter of fact tone. "He's a nice guy, cut him some slack."

Kung Jin didn't answer, instead focused on the kitten in his lap that was staring just as judgmentally up at him. _I warned you Kung Jin about mistreating our friend. You have upset him. An apology might prove to be the smoothest course of action when the one called Jasper returns._

 _Shut up, RJ._

 _Your attitude is unhelpful, Kung Jin._

 _Your fluffiness is unhelpful, pest. Can't you say anything helpful?_

 _I would, if I was capable of speaking and not essentially one arguing with myself. I am merely a vessel for you inner thoughts._

 _Good point._

Jacqui sat on the grass, joining them as she looked inside the box. She gave a small chuckle. "Good thing Cassie isn't here, she probably would have blown our cover. She can't keep a secret when she gets drunk."

"Wonder if Mr. Cage has picked her up yet," Takeda stated, his tone slightly curious.

"I will bet you five bucks, he is on that stage singing with Cassie drunk at a table watching as we speak," Jacqui laughed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile...  
_ _Bucky's Karaoke Bar_

Johnny Cage was completely sober except for the half drunken beer that lay next to Cassie's gin and tonic on the table. It wasn't his first time having to drag his daughter home after a night out, and like most of those times, she was stubborn to leave. However, Johnny knew exactly how to get her to agree to go home.

Complete parental embarrassment.

He had a lot of practice and it worked every time.

The bar was somewhat dead since the blonde came in with her friends, and many of them departed as soon as she started singing. The only ones that remained were a few patrons that were cheering the former action star on and the bartender that seemed to be in as much pain as the actor's daughter.

Cassie had her chin in her hands with a complete look of abashed agony on her face as she watched her father singing Queen's _'Bohemian Rhapsody.'_

Johnny jumped off the stage, running over to Cassie who gave a terrified look that her father was drawing attention to her. Cassie wanted nothing more than to turn into liquid and disappear into the cracks of the wooden floorboards.

"Thunderbolts of lightning. VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING! Come on pumpkin you know the words!"

As soon as Johnny pointed the microphone in her direction, Cassie shot up from her chair as fast as her inebriated state could muster, drunkenly staggered out the door and left the bar without paying.

Johnny cracked a grin as he signaled the DJ to cut the music, handed the microphone to him paid the tab. He caught up with her and guided her to his sports car parked across the street — the same one she was already heading towards.

"I hate... I hate that...that works every fuckin' time... you suck Dad," Cassie snarled as she curled her lip up angrily at him. Johnny wrapped an arm around her waist and helped guide her to the car.

"Hey, at least I made it in time before the vomit monsoon started," Johnny mentioned, grimacing as he recalled the last time.

As soon as he mentioned puke, Cassie retched and spilled the contents of her night onto the sidewalk near the passenger side door.

Johnny frowned. "Or not. Guess there is always next time."

* * *

 **A/N:** _I was going to get the kittens in the base this chapter, but it was getting long. Next one I promise and I hoped you still enjoyed this one nonetheless. Leave a review if you like._

 _See you next chapter. :)_


	4. Everybody Wants To Be A Cat

**A/N:** Apologies for the delay; been a crazy December. Hope everyone had a good holiday season and we are back with the first chapter of 2016! :) In case I didn't reply to your reviews, I'm doing it now. :)

 **MugenApprentice:** Thanks so much! Do not worry, despite how this chapter ends, this will not be the last time you see Jasper. ;)

 **En-Lumine:** Hehe, the kittens dialouges are always my favorite part of writing this story! :D *glomps* Thanks for the review friend! :)

 **Creampuff:** Aren't they?! XD Jin is just as precious as those little muffins I swear and don't worry, Cassie will interact with the fluffballs as well. :)

 **sword slasher:** Merry Belated Christmas to you and thank you for the Christmas gift of your review! :)

 **Guest:** Thank you! :)

 **Overrule** : Glad to know! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 4**  
 **Everybody Wants To Be A Cat**

* * *

Thankful that there was only one other person in the gas station, he did his best to suppress a yawn as he walked past the stacks of cheap packaged food and tried not to gag on the horrendous aroma of the hot dogs cooking nearby. He glanced over the abominations as they grilled like sunburned tourists under the light of the grill. Jasper honestly smelled puke that smelled better and the donuts sitting next to the microwave looked faker than the wax apples that sat in his aunt's dining room table.

Other than that, the gas station was a carbon copy of every other respectable gas station. Not creepy, not fancy, just standard. He grabbed the first water bottle out of the plastic bag and could feel the eyes of the elderly and grumpy cashier hit him in the back of the head. He tried to ignore him and the fact that he looked like the reincarnation of Albert Fish. Jasper eyed the hot dogs warily again and couldn't help but hope they were not made of children.

 _A gas station worker that turned out to be a serial killer. Wouldn't be the worst thing that happened to me._

The thought of the guy with the kittens that hadn't even said 'thank you' once earned a scowl from Jasper as he set the first water bottle in the microwave. Jasper tried to remind himself that it wasn't the microwave he was mad at, although the not too gentle slam caused the cashier's eyes to lift from his magazine.

"Are you looking to purchase it as well? " the cashier, a rail-thin man in 50's, barked. His pale but skeletal face creased into a frown as his bushy white eyebrows bridged together. "I said you could use it not break it."

The exhausted and frustrated pet store employee winced slightly and let out a sigh to revival Charlie Brown's. "Sorry. Just having a weird night."

"I agree. It isn't every day that someone asks if they can microwave water," the cashier commented with an indifferent tone, his eyes returning to his magazine.

"First time for me as well," Jasper replied with a light chuckle.

The cashier ignored him and he sighed. It was a first for him and he was annoyed that he had fallen so deep into the situation he was in. He was somewhat pissed with himself that he was letting the asshole with the ponytail treat him like gum on the bottom of his shoe.

In all fairness, Jasper hadn't deserved any of it and the thought of just going home and letting them bother with the kittens crossed his mind. However, the greatest weakness in his personality it seemed was to follow through no matter how aggravating the situation. Sometimes he would rather not be so loyal—especially when it came to strangers. He blamed his fraternal twin sister, Jennifer, for taking all the good personality traits while they were in the womb.

He only set the microwave for 15 seconds, afraid the plastic would melt. He opened the black, somewhat disgusting door of the microwave and quickly threw it in the plastic bag as he moved to place another in its place. He yawned as he punched the numbers.

He heard the bell on the door ring, but he didn't turn around to see who had come into the store.

"Great _you_ ," the cashier groaned.

"Nice to see you too! Did you watch the movie yet, Pops?" a light-hearted, and very familiar voice questioned.

Jasper turned around when he heard it—God, it sounded familiar—even though he was confident he didn't know the person.

"You know I hate that goddamn cheesy shit," griped the older man, snapping the page over as he continued reading.

"You know you love 'em, Fred!" rang out the voice, unaffected by the barb.

"Bah!"

Jasper heard the microwave chime behind him and despite being interested, he turned his back to collect the water bottle and place the last one in. He heard footsteps behind him and Jasper craned his neck to get a look at who was behind him.

His mouth dropped open and hung there.

Behind him, with a confused crooked grin, was the man who stared in the movies Jasper and Jennifer grew up on.

Johnny Cage was standing behind him… and he was entirely sure he looked like an idiot gawking at him.

"I know—it's a big burrito," Cage said as he held up the plastic-wrapped burrito. "But my pumpkin wants a burrito she will get a burrito —and pushed out my car if she throws it up."

Jasper didn't even hear what he said and instead gulped. There was a lifeless panic that took hold of him. Despite living near L.A, he never met any actor or actress face to face. His speculation that he would _act cool_ if the situation ever came along was clearly inaccurate. On the surface, he was a dumbstruck idiot with an equally stupid look on his face, and inside. He wasn't sure if he was a 12-year-old girl at boy-band concert or a blonde bimbo being chased by Jason Voorhees, regardless which one it was, he was internally screaming.

 _Oh-my-god. Johnny Cage. Johnny flippin' Cage. I love your movies. Not really they are kinda stupid— But still! SNAP OUT OF IT YOU MORON!_

The microwave beeped loudly behind him, but he only heard it because he saw Cage's hand waving in front of his while he whistled. Jasper blinked rapidly, jolting out of his thoughts and felt a gigantic boulder of embarrassment crush him. It was remarkable he was still standing.

"You have a nice Vietnam War flashback?" Johnny asked, his smirk only growing bigger.

Jasper heard his own garbled words that formed into nothing but random sounds. He swore if a Sasquatch had a mating call, he just impersonated it correctly.

"Breath, Violet you're turning violet," Cage said, an eyebrow raised slightly in concern. "Remember the war is over now. You can open that quilt shop you always talked about."

Jasper felt the rush of air explode out of his lungs; he hadn't even known he was holding his breath. "Sorry… umm… do you need to use the microwave?"

He could tell that Cage was trying to be patient with him, albeit looking at him as if he was Norman Bates, and gave a charming smile. "That's why I'm behind ya."

He was quite aware of how much of an idiot he felt. "Sorry. I'm hogging it. I didn't mean to. I just… you're freaking Johnny Cage man! Holy shit!"

Even over the sound of Johnny's laugh, he could hear the cashier groan with disgust and exasperation: "Oh good God."

"That's me mi amigo. Always nice to meet a fan," he beamed.

Jasper could feel his fingers rubbing together nervously, noticing how heavily coated in sweat they were. "Sorry. I'm sure I scaring the crap outta you right now, but I promise I'm not Kathy Bates."

"You're fine, kid, it's a compliment and thank you for not breaking my ankles with a sledgehammer yet," Johnny said. "Can I use the microwave, now?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry!" he said in alarm. His hands slipped over the handle as he grabbed the last water bottle and shoved it in the plastic bag.

"Uhh… none of my concern but water tastes better cold," Cage remarked.

 _Oh_ _my god, he must think I'm Buffalo Bill right now. Don't say anything stupid..._

"Oh I know, I love cold water! These aren't for me I'm just doing some asshole with a pony-tail a favor. You see he has these kittens and his two friends and the cats they need formula. I just wanted to go home and see my dog, and I also need to stop talking because…"

He thought he felt his heart stop dead when Cage placed his hand over his mouth. He went as still as a statue as Johnny 'shushed' him.

 _Nice_ _job, Jasp. You're Kathy Bates, now._

"Sorry. I ramble when I'm nervous," Jasper apologized. His words muffled under Johnny Cage's hand. His cheeks burned hot like a fire in a boiler.

"I noticed," Cage said. "If I buy you a burrito, will you relax?"

The film star removed his hand; Jasper shrugged sheepishly. "I don't like burritos, but I promise to shut up forever now that I have finished digging my own grave."

Cage shrugged. "Hey, you don't have to shut up. Just stop holding the microwave hostage, will ya?"

Jasper side-stepped out of the way and allowed the actor room to cook the cheap gas station junk food. The pet store clerk's eyes glanced over at the cashier who was rolling his eyes at him before flicking the page.

"So which one of my movies do you like the most? Let me guess _Citizen Cage_?" he suddenly waved his hand with dismissal, snapping his fingers in thought. "No don't tell me! _Massive Strike_? Everyone likes that one. Please don't say its _Ninja Mime_?"

"Dude, its _Fisticuffs_ for sure! Loved the fight scenes in that one!" Jasper answered. His response seemed to catch him off guard because his eyebrows rose at the answer. Johnny raised his knuckles at him.

"A personal favorite of yours truly as well. Creepy fangirling aside, you're alright," Cage said. Jasper balled his fist and tapped his knuckles against Johnny Cage's. Jasper once again felt his cheeks flush with a dark red with embarrassment. _He just fist-bumped Johnny Cage!_

"Sorry about the fangirling. My sister and I have watched your movies since we were kids," Jasper explained shyly. "I can't wait to see her freak when I tell her about this."

"Well _that_ doesn't make me feel old at all," Johnny sarcastically chuckled. Jasper laughed as well, although it sounded creepy and forced in his ears.

He crossed his arms as they waited for the microwave to finish. Jasper noticed the curious gleam in his eyes. "So tell me about the asshole with the pony-tail and the kittens. Sounds like a riveting family-friendly drama."

Jasper frowned. The image of the asshole in question caused him to roll his eyes. "It's a long story."

"Well give me the cliff notes, professor," Cage smirked.

Jasper sighed. "So, I was closing up the pet store I work at, and some guy with a box full of kittens comes waltzing up asking me to open the shop. Well, can't say no to kittens. Anyways, I decide to take the high road and give him a lift as well. He lives on the Special Forces Base just up the road."

An inquisitive twinkle sparkled in the actor's blue eyes the second he mentioned the base, but Jasper didn't think too much of it and continued: "Well, his friends show up too, like some bad Twilight Zone episode. Well, there is a no pet rule in the base, so they all come up with this plan to sneak them in the base. We have to make the kittens fall asleep. That's why I'm microwaving water. They need lukewarm water for the formula. Crazy right?"

"Crazy Cat Lady level," Johnny nodded. He paused for a moment before his lip pulled into a sly smile. "For no reason whatsoever, I was wondering if the asshole with the ponytail's got a name?"

Jasper bit his lip trying to remember what Takeda had called him. Ironically, or just the universe having a sense of humor, he recalled it right when the microwave beeped. "Uhh…Jin or something like that."

Cage rose a single eyebrow; Jasper could tell that he recognized the name. " _Kung_ Jin?"

The pet store employee nodded. "Yeah. Kung Jin. That's it. You know him?"

When he saw the strange, almost crafty look on the actor's face, Jasper gulped slightly with anxiousness. Perhaps he should have kept his big mouth shut.

"Tell you what," Cage began, a devious look on his face. "You point out where they are hanging out and we'll get back at him for treating you like an asshole."

Jasper shook his head. "No… I can't do that. I mean he's been rude and everything, but I still want the kittens to get taken care of so _I_ don't have to."

Johnny waved a hand, like a magician trying to vanish all his concerns. "Don't worry about the fluffballs, I won't spill."

Jasper rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know…"

"I'll give you an autograph," Johnny promised with a wink.

Without missing a beat, Jasper nodded with a serious expression and blurted out without thinking. "You got it."

 _I'm such a whore._

* * *

" _Has the one called Jasper abandoned his mission, Kung Jin?"_

" _I'm ignoring you."_ Jin mentally told the white kitten in his lap, the words playing in a sing-song voice. He rolled his eyes when he came to the realization he was unintentionally just mocking himself.

"He's been gone a long time," Takeda pointed out. The calico kitten now sitting on the Shirai Ryu shoulder like a pirate's parrot—planted there purposely by Takahashi. "Didn't he say five minutes?"

"Well he does have to heat up the water bottles," Jacqui pointed out. The gray kitten purred silently in her lap, her hand cradling its body to keep it still as she sat Indian style on the grass. "Probably getting chewed out by Pops for exploding water in the microwave."

Takeda smiled lightly at Briggs' joke while Jin frowned in response. "How hard is it to heat up a couple of water bottles for cat milk?"

Jacqui furrowed her eyebrows into a hard line, but Takeda did the talking for her. "You know, he didn't have to be nice to you and go out of his way. Why are you such a jerk?"

"It's been a long night if you haven't noticed," Kung Jin huffed. A white paw suddenly planted itself on the Shaolin's lips. Jin could feel the tiny needles of his claws prick the soft flesh of his lips, and he curled his nose when he smelled the dumpster on his foot.

 _You speak foully of our friend. I will hear no more of this. He is benevolent and does not deserve any animosity. I silence you._

"Get your nasty smelling feet off my mouth," The Archer growled. He plucked the kitten's foot from his mouth and lifted him off his lap. The white kitten meowed, almost in sadness and walked along the grass of the park. Abandoned by his caretaker.

"D'aw come on, Jin," Takeda complained with a disappointed tune. "You don't have to be mean to _everyone_ that likes you."

"He's a pest," Kung Jin retorted, leaning back on his arms. Despite his antagonism towards the white kitten, he kept a watchful eye as he tumbled on the grass and explored.

"I think you are just defensive because you don't want to admit you like little RJ," Takeda teased. A smirk pulled to one side as if the question was rhetorical.

Jin lifted a hand to drag it down his face in irritation. "You just had to pick Raiden Junior, didn't you?"

Takeda shrugged, "Well, come on. Who _else_ does the little guy remind you off?"

"Johnny Cage," Jacqui said. Jin couldn't help but notice the tight, almost alarmed tone in her voice.

"Really? That's what a fluffy white cat reminds you of? Mr. Cage?" Takeda questioned with a raised eyebrow. Evidently he missed the nervousness in her voice, too focused on the color mashed kitten that was sniffing the inside of his ear. Takeda let out a strained giggle when it meowed in his ear.

Kung Jin's eyes widened, complete embarrassment rushing over him when he saw the familiar headlights of Johnny Cage's red Corvette following a blue Taurus pulling in the parking lot.

With the speed used in training, the Shaolin jumped to his feet and ran over to grab the white kitten that was currently nibbling on a blade of grass. The tiny ball of marble colored fluff let out a small squeak of surprise when he was suddenly lifted from the lawn.

 _Kung Jin! What is the meaning of this! I was feasting._

Running, and knowing it was in no way subtle what he was doing, he snatched the kitten from Takeda's shoulder and the gray one from Jacqui's lap; both of them giving him a dubious look. Just as he placed all three kittens back in the box, he noticed a lop-sided smile on the actor's face as he stepped out of the car and. Jasper did the same and unlike Johnny Cage who wore a shit-eating grin, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly; knowing he was in trouble.

In his hand, he held a white plastic bag with cylinders poking through the material; the water bottles. Cage walked over to the group as Jasper went to fetch the formula out of the passenger seat of the Taurus; trying to become invisible.

He had every reason to be nervous because it took all Kung Jin had not to run over to him and put the pet store clerk in a chokehold. He knew that Cage had seen the kittens despite his attempt to remain deadpan as he stalked over to them. He felt a sinking pang of resentment that engulfed into a hotter fire the more he glared in Jasper's direction.

Looked like their plan was over before it even started and Jin knew _exactly_ who was to blame. Kung Jin placed the jacket back over the top of the box, concealing them and gave the heaviest glower he could fix in the traitor's direction. _"If I was Quan Chi I would kill you, resurrect you and then kill you again, you stupid asshole."_

"Ya, Jin like I didn't see you just pick up a bunch of cats and shove them in the box," Johnny Cage jabbed with a light-hearted tone. "I thought Shaolin were supposed to be stealthy."

"They were flowers," Jin threw back, his tone despondent despite the layer of anger trying to conceal it.

Johnny responded with a skeptical look and laughed softly. "Yup, sure. Let me guess. Pussy willows?"

"That's not really a _flower_ ," Jacqui grumbled. Her hand covered her eyes as if trying to veil her disappointment, and/or pretend she was somewhere else. Jin sensed it was both because the feeling was mutual.

"How about catnip, then?" Cage replied. Jacqui groaned.

"How the hell did this happen?" Takeda blurted out, his eyes shifting over towards Jasper, who was walking towards them.

"It was a very popular gas station," Jasper sighed, his attention on fetching the water bottles out of the grocery bag along with three blue plastic bowls with a straw attached; a cereal bowl and the straw was supposed to suck up the milk. Kung Jin looked over in the car. In the passenger seat, he saw Cassie with her mouth gaped open and her head lolled back against the headrest. Either asleep or just miserable, Jin guessed the latter from what he saw her consume earlier that night. He would have laughed if he wasn't so pissed off.

"Yeah, I can see that, but… _how_?" Takeda asked, looking as if someone was keeping the puzzle pieces he needed to complete the board away from him.

"Well, I guess you can say _curiosity killed the cat_ ," Johnny smiled. It earned a collective set of groaning from the three. "See, fanboy over here was nuking water bottles and because I'm not Sherlock Holmes, I had to ask what he was doing. Well, he recognized who I was and let's just say we bonded over my movies. As soon as he said a _jerk with a ponytail_. I knew it was you, Jin ole' boy."

"So you ratted us out?" Kung Jin spat in Jasper's direction.

Jasper shrugged innocently but didn't blink under the hateful stare from Kung Jin. "I'm a fan. So sue me."

"I'll knock your head off instead!" Kung Jin hollered, raising from his spot on the grass. The Shaolin was already storming towards Jasper when Cage stepped in the middle between the two, placing a hand on Jin's chest to stop him.

"Whoa, Whoa easy there, Horsey," Cage stopped with a humorous but serious tone. "I ain't here to tattle-tale on you to my ex-wife. I just wanna help with the little fluffballs."

Kung Jin gave him a suspicious glare. "Why?"

Johnny's smile broadened into a mischievous grin. "Because A: Because underneath this handsome exterior is a man who has a soft spot for cute and fluffy. And B: Sonya is allergic to cats."

"We were not planning on telling the General, Mr. Cage," Jacqui pointed out.

"Oh, I figured out that, _Brigg-a-dear_ ," Johnny said. "But can you imagine Sonya sneezing all over the place and not knowing why? Call it Johnny Cage's _subtle revenge for giving me a hard time lately_. Weapon of choice: strategically placed cat hair—invisible to the naked eye."

Kung Jin couldn't help but roll his eyes as both Takeda and Jasper laughed softly.

"Hate to admit it, that would be funny to see," Takeda chuckled. Jacqui flashed a stony expression and punched his bicep.

"What was that for?" Takeda whined, rubbing his arm.

"Because that's Aunt Sonya you're talking about and I'm tired and because I felt like punching something," Jacqui replied flatly.

"I'm in an abusive relationship," Takeda mocked with sadness, although there was a smile on his face.

 _Thank you, Jacqui._ Jin mused to himself.

Johnny suddenly clapped his hands together, rubbing them with joyous impatience. "Now! Where are the little cotton balls?"

"Daaaaaddd," groaned an intoxicated voice from the car window. Jin, Jacqui, Takeda, and Jasper turned to see Cassie Cage, miserable as a toucan in Antarctica, rolling her head out the window with heavy lidded eyes.

Without even looking behind him, he called out to Cassie. "Not inside the car, pumpkin."

What followed was retching and the contents of her stomach hit the concrete outside of the Corvette like a bucket of water crashed down. The sound of vomiting and it slapping noisily in the night, caused everyone to cringe but Cage.

"Thank you," he called out, already approaching the box.

"She ok?" Jacqui asked. Concern was in her voice, but there was an amused eyebrow raised in Cassie's direction.

"Oh yea, she'll live. I told her the burrito wouldn't agree wit her but she wanted it. I already got her hangover junk food for tomorrow," Johnny dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"That's why you went to the gas station?" Takeda grinned.

"Ding! Winner- winner- chicken- dinner," Cage joked. "Can I see the fuzzy ones now?"

"You gotta ask Jin," Takeda informed, jerking his head towards the Shaolin.

Johnny looked over at Kung Jin, and like a child begging his mother for candy, he enclosed his fingers and placed them under a very forced pouting face. "Jin," the nearly 50-year-old adult began, his voice meek and afraid. "Can I please play with your kittens? I promise I'll pet them and throw them in the air like a football gently."

Kung Jin let out the most aggravated sigh that was within him, audible to all and still not enough to express how irked he was. "Ya. might as well since the cat is out of the bag."

"Nice pun, you are learning well grasshopper," Cage chuckled, dropping the immature and childish act immediately after earning Jin's approval. Kung Jin groaned.

Jasper already moved away and began to pull out the bowls and mix the formula with the warm water. Stirring it with his finger and concentrating on his task, Jin walked over to him as he wiped the liquid on the grass. Jasper's brown eyes meet Jin's from his kneeling position on the ground. _He was nervous. Good._

"Sorry if I got on your nerves," Jasper started, interrupting the string of seething words that Jin had in mind to spit at him. "It just happened. Besides, now you don't need me anymore. He'll help you get them into the base, and I can go home. We don't have to look at each other for the rest of the night after this."

Jin scoffed. "At least something good came out of this."

"You know, you don't have to be a dick all the time," Jasper suggested, "but I guess it's hard for you when you look like a massive one already."

The Shaolin felt his fists tighten into balls. Leaning forward, he whispered so nobody else could hear: "If your D-List hard-on weren't here right now, I'd beat the crap out of you for that. Hope it was worth it."

Jasper met his furious glare with a confident and smug one of his own as he fished for something out of his pocket. Kung Jin felt hot air blow out of his nose when he unfolded the autographed photograph of Johnny Cage. Behind the two of them, Jin heard: "I'd frame that."

"Tell you the truth, I would have done it for a Klondike Bar, but this is better," Jasper sneered happily.

"Would it be better if I crumbled it up and rammed it down your throat?" Kung Jin snapped.

"Whatever," Jasper answered with a guiltless tone. "Anyway, I'm outta here. You're _welcome_ for the help. The formula is ready, and I'll leave the cat stuff on the curb for you. Good luck with your children."

Jin folded his arms across his chest as Jasper ignored him, instead opted for calling out the others to say his goodbye's. Takeda and Jacqui returned it with a wave of their own. Kung Jin grumbled when he saw Cage holding the black kitten by the paw and forcing it to mock good-bye wave at him as well. "Good-bye! I will never forget you."

"Was that _Titanic_?" Jasper questioned, a frown on his face but his eyes bright with silent laughter.

Johnny Cage continued to wave the black kitten's paw and responded with the most horrendous Italian accent. "I can see the Statue of Liberty, already! Very small of course! Mamma Mia!"

"Thank you for the autograph, Mr. Cage!" Jasper said with a roll of his eyes.

"You did not just call me _Mister Cage_ ," Jin heard Johnny mutter under his breath. Kung Jin watched as he left, keeping to his word and leaving the supplies on the curb for him to collect.

He started the car and gave a yawn. The Shaolin turned his back and returned his attention to the box of trouble that had to of been bestowed on him as a joke by the Elder Gods. It seemed along with the kittens, they had also sent the reject film actor and his daughter as a test of how far his patience could truly stretch. Picking up the bowls, he walked back to the group, albeit unmotivated to rejoin them. Johnny lifted the black kitten he was holding and brought him to face level. "Awe... look at that cute wittle face. Whose a cute little albino cotton ball?"

The black cat glanced over at Kung Jin and he could swear he saw the desperation to escape in the large emerald eyes. _"Kung Jin. I require your assistance."_

Various voices of mewing came from the box and earned the actor's attention. "Awe I'm sorry. You are adorable cotton balls as well." The orange tabby let out a squeak that failed to terrify the action star.

 _"Pay attention to me!"_

"Do you want lovings too, squeaky toy?" Cage asked, placing the black cat in the box and replaced it with the orange one. He hugged him to his chest like a four-year-old girl with a doll. Immediately, the kitten's ears fell back as his face scrunched into a horrified expression like a deformed wax doll.

 _"Don't pay attention to me! Put me back in the box!"_

He meowed angrily in Johnny's hold. "Fine. Be that way. I'll hug the _cuter_ one." Placing the tabby back in the box, he retrieved the black one and held him to his chest with the kitten's feet in the air; swaddling him like an infant. The black kitten didn't enjoy the arrangement and flipped over until his feet were in Johnny's hands. In a more comfortable position, the kitten meowed softly but remained in Cage's hold.

"Are you sure Cassie is not going to spill the beans the minute we get to the gate?" Kung Jin interrogated as he put the bowls down near the box. He was very doubtful since Cassie had a hard time keeping her mouth shut when she was sober.

"She doesn't even know what year it is right now," Cage answered. He turned his attention away from the black cat and turned towards Jacqui and Takeda. "She's irked that you ditched her, FYI. She wanted to do a group karaoke session."

"That's _why_ we ditched," Takeda acknowledged, rubbing his temples with two of his fingers. Looking as if he rather forget what was mentioned.

"Can we give them their stupid milk now?" Jin asked with an annoyed disposition. Johnny rolled his eyes and set the black kitten down."Alright, alright, don't get your ponytail in tangles."

The minuscule panther stepped experimentally across the grass, his interest fixed on the blue bowl. One by one, the other kittens were lifted from the cardboard box and set on the green.

"And they're off!" Cage joked, his voice imitating a horse race announcer's as he watched them all curiously walked towards the bowls. "We got _White Lightning_ in the lead, followed by _Great Balls Of Fire_. Followed by _Great Balls of Fire_ we have _The Gray Gatsby_ and it looks like _The Calico Kid_ is going to reach the finish line first!"

"By the Gods..." Kung Jin groaned.

"It _never_ stops," Jacqui agreed.

"His name is RJ," Takeda argued lightly.

Johnny flashed Kenshi's son with a fake look of shock."Takeda... you are not supposed to name _it_. Once you name it you start getting attached to _it_. Now put that thing back where it came from, or so help me!"

"You mean back in the _dumpster_?" Kung Jin interrupted. He knew that it was a stupid movie line, but the look on his face was priceless. Especially when he Johnny rolled his head back and hissed through his teeth at his mistake.

"Oohhhh. Imma _dick!_ " Cage winced to himself.

Eventually, all the kittens reached one of the three blue bowls; two at each except the black, orange and white one sharing the same bowl, leaving one empty. Greedily, they began to suck down the formula, hungry and silent besides the sound of them sipping. Kung Jin let a small smile creep onto his face. _Silence at last._

Johnny Cage stepped over to the empty, forgotten bowl and gestured at it with his hands. The kittens ignored him. "Umm, hello. Empty bowl right here. You don't have to fight over that _one_."

The black kitten, his mouth, and whiskers covered in a the white liquid like a baby with spaghetti sauce over face, ignored the actor and chewed on the plastic straw; conveying all the kitten's answer to Cage's claim. They didn't care. They wanted this bowl.

Reaching over, he plucked the orange one from the bowl he was still drinking out of. The actor cringed slightly when a ferocious roar of complaint issued from the amber baby.

 _"Unhand me asshole!"_

Johnny flipped the kitten around to face him. "Are you giving me sass or are you telling me how much you love my movies?"

With formula dripping from the wet fibers of his fur, he let out another irritated squeak at Cage as he wiggled with rage. _"Your movies stink worse than two pieces of shit rolling around on a hill made of shit!"_

"Awe, I think he likes me," Cage cooed. The defiant meow said differently. He placed the orange kitten in front of the unused bowl and, in retaliation, the tiger marched back to the bowl where the black and white kitten were. Johnny tried to pull him back to the lonely bowl, but as soon as he was released he tried to go back to the crowded bowl he preferred. He gave it three attempts before he gave up.

Stumbling away, both the calico and the gray kitten walked through the grass, mewing softly. The pair glanced at each other, both of them regarding each other like two gunfighters in a duel before the painted kitten launched and attacked the gray one. Laughter came from the humans, even from the sour Shaolin, as they rolled on the grass; biting and kicking.

A bigger laugh came from the Shirai Ryu, drowning out the others as they turned to look at him. He noticed and tried to settle his fit before he nodded his head over towards the two kittens. "You know what this reminds me of? I don't know why, but all I see is Master Hasashi and Grandmaster Sub-Zero fighting."

Kung Jin smirked at Takeda's remark. Now that he had said that, it was all he could see as they continued to brawl on the grass.

 _"Shirai Ryu dog!"_

 _"Lin Kuei scum!"_

"I got it," Jacqui piqued suddenly. The Archer could swear he saw the light bulb that brightened over her head.

"Got what?" the Ninja Mime star asked.

"What to name them all," Jacqui explained, a smile on her face as she grabbed the black kitten that finished and scampered near her. She settled it on her lap as the mini-jaguar batted at her fingers playfully. She let out a small _'ow'_ when his teeth clamped on her index finger.

" _I will nibble your fingers to the bone! I am a ravenous panther of the Amazon!"_

"Since you already named the white one Raiden Jr. and you brought up Hanzo and Kuai Liang, how about we name those two after them?" she offered.

Johnny laughed as soon as he heard what the actual meaning to RJ was. "You named him after Sparky? Hahaha! Ok, I can see it. Then we have to name the other two after Coldy-locks and Anger Management!"

"Well since the calico is a girl, how about we name her Hana? After Hanzo?" Takeda suggested with a shrug. Kung Jin thought he was going to roll his eyeballs out of his head. To almost accentuate how he felt, he heard Cassie throw up behind him.

 _Finally,_ _we agree on something, Cassie._

Johnny managed to separate the two kittens and held them in each large hand, both of them still batting at each other from across the distance created; managing only to swat at air.

"So if you're a girl," Johnny mused to the calico. He raised the gray kitten over his head and looked between it's legs. "You must _also_ be a girl."

"Lia," Jacqui smiled. Takeda and Johnny seemed to give nods of approval at the name, and despite how ridiculous it was to name cats that were not going to be around very long, Jin allowed himself to approve of the names. At least, he would have something to call them when he got angry at them. He felt something tap his shoes and he looked down to see RJ glancing up and him with a cocked head; his blue eyes gazed up at him with adorable inquisitiveness.

"What about _Jaguar_?" Kung Jin said, his head jerking at the kitten on her lap before he seethed with pain when the mini furry version of the Thunder God decided to use his jeans to climb up him.

 _"I will ascend, Kung Jin."_

With his tiny arms wrapped around his pant legs like a monkey shimming up a coconut tree. His claws dug into his thigh before he intervened and pried RJ from his clothing. He clung to his pants for a moment, before another tug released him. He held him in the crook of his arm and immediately Jin could feel the vibrations coming from his chest. He purred in contentment and felt his head nudge against his bicep before he laid flat against the flat surface of Kung Jin's forearm; his eyes starting to grow foggy with sleepiness.

"Montezuma?" Cage offered. Another burst of vomit rang through the night and hit the pavement. Johnny looked over at Cassie who had her head hanging outside the window like a dog on ipecac. "Help me..." she moaned.

"Hang in there, cliffhanger," her father called. Cassie banged her head on the window's edge a couple of times before she left it there.

"How about _Ko_ if we are sticking the Aztec theme?" Takeda shrugged.

"As in _Kotal_ Kahn?" Jin scoffed. "Hell no. Pick something else."

"Well, how about Jack?" Jacqui said. "He _is_ a boy."

"Naming him after your old man?" Johnny asked his goddaughter.

"He's a strong little guy, so yeah," she explained. The kitten pulled her fingers towards his mouth, the kitten's mouth wide open as the tomboy struggled to keep her digits away from the trap of tiny teeth.

 _"Give me your fingers! I must eat them! How dare you disrespect me!"_

Besides the black kitten that held on to her, Kung Jin noticed that the Sub-Zero and Scorpion kittens were beginning to slow. Sluggishly, they continued their fight but the comfort of the grass seemed to lull them. Perhaps it had something to do with the warm glass of milk they received as well.

The former thief looked down at his arms and melted at the sight he saw, even though he kept his hardened poker face. RJ, resting in his arms, was fast asleep. His eyes were closed and buried his face into Jin's chest. His skinny frame moved slightly up and down. He looked at peace now that he finally had nourishment. _Well. One down, four to go._

* * *

It was 1 am, but Jin guessed that it was closer to 2 in the morning since Takeda hadn't checked his watch for a while. Kung Jin managed to sit on the grass. RJ still curled against him and hadn't stirred even after he moved.

After Jacqui and Takeda had explained to Johnny their plan of action, Johnny also offering to use his gym bag in the trunk of the car to get the cat gear in, Kung Jin noticed Lia and Hana had also fallen asleep. Hana curled into a ball as the gray kitten rested her head on top of the calico's warm fur, both of them sucking heat from each other.

The only ones that still fought were the tabby and the black kitten. The former walked over towards Jack, who was beginning to calm in Jacqui's lap and whacked the male kitten hard on the head. Jack responded instantly, leaping from the Specialist and tackling the jerk; hugging him from behind. They rolled like a colorful tumbleweed across the grass, earning a small bit of laughter from all the tired residents of the Special Forces base. The chuckling was meek at best.

They were all exhausted and he was getting tired of waiting on the last two to succumb to slumber like the others. Cassie had passed out in the car and Jin could swear he saw a white trail of drool trailing down her chin in the passenger seat.

Even through his groggy daze, an idea popped in his head when he watched the black and orange kitten fight on the grass.

"TJ."

They all looked at him for an explanation. "TJ. Or _Tiny Jerk_. That's what I'm going to call him. He acts like one might as well be named it."

"See. Told you like them. You named one," Takeda teased. The Shirai Ryu was laying with his back on the grass and his arm draped over his eyes. Therefore, he didn't see the finger that Shaolin flipped at him.

"Right back at you," Takeda mumbled indifferently. Kung Jin silently mocked the telepath's words, mouthing them silently like a kid talking back to his mother.

"Look, guys, as much as this Kumbaya is, I think we should break out the Mission Impossible music and start trying to get them in," Johnny told them, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes glazed over with tiredness.

"I agree with Mr. Cage," Jacqui said, resting her chin in her hand. She nudged her boyfriend with her shoe, stirring him. "You can at least try and get the three quiet ones in. We'll worry about the other two."

Kung Jin nodded in agreement. He was sick of this park. Looking over at Hanzo's protégé who was propping himself up on his elbows, he nodded in his direction: "Whose taking the extra baggage? You or me?"

Takeda glanced down at the female cats curled into a ball on top of each other. "There's no separating those two. I can take them. You can take little RJ."

"Takeda. It's a cat," Kung Jin advised with a cautionary tone. "As soon as they are better, they're off to new homes."

"Whatever you say, Jin," was all the Takeda replied with; his tone skeptical. Jin ignored him and very gently placed RJ on the grass who only stirred slightly as he settled. Jin stood, along with Takeda, as both of them began to tuck their shirts into their jeans. Jacqui and Johnny very gently, lifted the kittens from the grass, as if they were the most delicate flower ever to grace the earth, and gently tucked them inside their shirts.

Takeda cupped his chest as did Jin, both of them looking as if they had tumors growing on their chests. Jin could feel RJ move, trying to get comfortable inside his new sleeping quarters at the same time Kung Jin tried to ignore how ticklish the cat's fur against his skin was. his mouth twisted, trying it's best to remain in a flat line but it was harder then he thought it would be.

Takeda's cats, named after both Clan Grandmaster's, settled across his chest and poked through the material right where his pectoral muscles were.

"Nice breast implants, who's your doctor?" Kung Jin jabbed light-heartily.

Takeda scowled in his direction. "Same doctor who's going to deliver birth to your baby. You 5 month along now?"

Jacqui laughed. "Alright, you guys better get going before the next rotation starts." She checked her watch. "Looks like you got 34 minutes. I'd hurry."

Johnny already had the black kitten in his hand who threw a tantrum; wiggling in his palm as his feet swiped for solid ground. He let out a terrible mew in disdain.

 _I want to kill him now!_

"Yes, ma'am," Takeda replied. "We'll meet you soon."

Jacqui scooped up the orange one; the blue eyes blinking with sleepiness the moment she cradled him in the crook of her arm. With a wink, she added. "Good luck guys. I'll keep the window open for you."

* * *

Takeda waited on the ground, on the outside of the Special Forces chain link fence as Kung Jin, climbed up it carefully. He did so slowly, doing his best to avoid rousing the kitten that was building between the juncture of where his shirt was tucked into his jeans. He looked like a Shaolin kangaroo. He felt small nails scrape against his skin as the two kittens he was holding moved. They were more restless and it was becoming a problem trying to control them through the fabric.

The branch of the large oak hung over on their side and the Shirai Ryu knew the single outstretched branch hanging was what Jin was aiming for. Before he reached the barbed wire, he pulled his legs, propping them against the fence as it caved in slightly from the pressure he put on it. Using it as a springboard, he jumped from the wall and grabbed the branch.

Both Takeda and Jin let out sighs of relief, but that was replaced with panic when the sudden motion caused Jin's shirt to become unloose and a white kitten fell out of his shirt like an egg out of an Easter basket.

Takeda was already attempting to run and catch RJ, but was startled when Jin instantly let go of the branch, managed to grab RJ by the scruff and pulled him to his chest. Takeda cringed when Jin rotated and landed on his back, falling at least 30 feet from the tree. He groaned, his face coiled in pain, but opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the kitten was awake, but safe.

The white cat meowed softly and walked across Jin's chest before kneading his collarbone, as if with thanks and repaying him by tending to his injuries.

Much to his surprise, Jin stroked the kitten's back, as if relieved that he was unaffected by the fall. "We need another plan."

He agreed. There was no way to leap from the tree without hurting the cats. He eyeballed the chain link and the holes. With an unsure grimace, he walked over to the fence and pulled out one of the kittens. Kneeling down with Hana in his hands, the kitten waking up slowly, he tried to urge the kitten to see if he could fit through the fence. It was big enough and the kitten had no problem fitting through. Stumbling sluggishly on the grass, he did the same thing with Lia. They meowed from the other side of the fence and began to explore the other side. Takeda took his chance before they decided to try and go through the hole of the fence.

As soon as both cats were through, Takeda climbed the fence and copied what Jin did in a hurried pace. As soon as he had his feet on the tree branch, he walked it like a tightrope towards the base and began to descend down; jumping from limb to limb with agility.

He felt the tree shake and noticed the Jin had followed the same idea and was walking on the tree branch towards the base. Takeda was the first to touch the ground, looking carefully in the dark for any movement, before he dropped down onto the grass.

Lia and Hana walked along the overgrown grass, taking giant footsteps as if the two were wearing snow shoes. Double-checking his shirt was tucked in, he bent down and put them inside of his shirt. He could feel them clambering around and groaned when he felt claws digging into his flesh; trying to climb up him.

He glanced over at Jin and noticed the he did the same with RJ.

"Well, step one down," Takeda remarked with a hopeful grin. "Now comes the tricky part."

Both of the teammates looked across the open field, across the large grassy field was the outline of the building that made up their adjoined quarters. Silently, the began to make their way across the field, the crickets louder and thankfully drowning out their footsteps as the crossed with haste towards the building. The amber glow of the streetlights that dotted the area helped them breathe a little easier; they didn't see anybody around.

Their backs hit the wall of the beige building. With Takeda leading, they scurried along the wall and stopped when he reached the edge. He peered around it to see no one in sight, but a security camera hanging from a post. It swiveled slowly back and forth between the area and as soon as it pointed in their direction, he pulled his face from the corner.

He turned to Jin, "On my go," he instructed him.

Takeda waited, barely peeking from behind the corner. As soon as the camera pointed in the opposite direction, he nodded at Jin to follow. Briskly, the raced across the open area until they reached the protection of another building.

He noticed the next building over and smirked slightly when he saw the light shining through a single window. That was Jacqui's room, and honestly, he could have found it in the dark because he snuck into it a couple of times just to annoy her. He stopped scaring her when she broke his nose when he pulled back the shower curtain like Anthony Perkins in Psycho; he didn't hear violins but saw stars. His felt his nose twinge with pain at the memory; she definitely was Jax's daughter.

They reached Jacqui's window and very carefully, he pushed the window upwards.

The window was snatched from him and pulled all the way up in a violent thrust. At first, Takeda thought he was in trouble but then saw Jacqui's face poke through.

She offered him a hand and pulled him up. As soon as he was inside her room, he pulled his shirt up and gently let the kittens fall on Jacqui's bed; accompanying Jack and TJ. As always, her room was meticulous and clean; overly organized from the absence of wrinkles on her gray blanket to the way her pens rested in the cup on her equally clean desk. Like all of their rooms, it was painted white with an adjoining bathroom the same color.

The only thing that broke the robotic appeal of the room was the pictures of her family and friends on her metal nightstand.

Takeda heard the window close behind him and Jin lift RJ out of his shirt and placed him on the bed next to the other kittens. "Where's Cage?"

"On his way, he had to park the car and get Cass to bed," Jacqui answered.

"Did you have trouble getting them in?" Takeda asked.

She shook her head, "Besides a little bit of protest from the orange one after we passed the gate, it was a breeze. Mission accomplished."

"Go figure," Kung Jin grumbled, looking at the deviant orange fluff looking at him. He squeaked at him and Takeda smiled. They really should have reconsidered and named the kitten KJ.

"Ah shut up already you little punk," Kung Jin tossed sharply at the kitten.

There was a knock at the door, rhythmically tapping against the door in the style of 'Shave and A Haircut.' He didn't need his family gift to know it was Johnny Cage on the other side of the door. He was surprised that they had managed to wrangle in another accomplice, but like Jacqui and even Kung Jin who wouldn't admit it, how could you say no to those 5 adorable faces.

"It's open," Jacqui called out.

The actor stepped through the door, opening and closing it quickly with a heavy frown on his face directed at Jin. "Unlike your room. Really wish you had it unlocked, Jin." He still had the gym bag, stuffed with Jin's kitten necessities and looking like the zipper on the bag was ready to bust.

"Like you keep your room unlocked," Kung Jin threw back with a pretentious scoff.

Takeda could feel uneasiness in Cage and he prodded through to figure out what was troubling him. When he realized what it was and who was standing on the other side of the door, Takeda felt his face turn ghostly white.

 _Oh no..._

 _"Yes, son."_ he heared his father's voice in his head. The door opened and revealed the elder Takahashi in his training clothes. As soon as Jacqui and Jin saw Kenshi, a nuclear bomb could have exploded right next to them and they wouldn't have heard it.

Kenshi closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. His father was not fully dressed in his combat gear, wearing only his red blindfold and a black Keikogi although he had Sento strapped to his back. His father seldom had a peaceful night sleep which prompted him to late night training at times. Takeda really wished his father had a good night sleep on this particular night.

A smirk danced across his father's face before he telepathically scolded him. _"You would have succeeded if you had chosen a different co-conspirator than one that cannot stop talking even when his mouth is closed."_

Takeda dipped his head, feeling like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He must have passed Cage in the hall and caught what he was doing, even if Cage hadn't actually said anything.

"You see," Johnny Cage grumbled, even caught, he was still joking. "This is why we can't have telepaths in the base."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hoped you enjoyed this chapter and let me know your thoughts and what you would like to see. Do not worry, Cassie will meet the kittens as well. :)

Thanks for reading and see you next chapter! :)


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